CS 462

Cybersecurity Fundementals –

CS462 is a course that offers an introduction to networking, vulnerable protocols such as HTTP and DNS, an overview of wireless communications, an introduction to cryptography, discussions of varying cyber threats and defenses, firewalls and the protocols surrounding them, and finally network layer security. A project I worked on in this course was the CS462 Blog, this assignment was a paper in which I described and explained a recent cybersecurity attack with specific details on the technologies used to perpetrate the attack and the ramifications of such an attack. The attack that I chose to write about was a cyber attack that utilized ransomware and SQL injection vulnerabilities on the MOVEit Transfer databases in May of 2023.

This course was one in which I had to view cybersecurity from a new perspective, rather than look at it objectively I was forced to examine specific details of the field that I had not considered to be of much importance at first. I gained knowledge that was previously unbeknownst to me, and it can be argued that it allowed me to gain a better understanding of cybersecurity and to bolster my computer proficiency in a positive manner. This paper allowed me to demonstrate newfound research skills, the ability to recognize vulnerabilities in computer systems, and how future attacks could have drastic effects on systems depending on the severity of said attacks. The paper itself was that in which I had to learn systems I was unfamiliar with, and write about a topic I had certainly never even heard of before. I had to be bold and take risks with how I researched and constructed the paper. As someone who never before had talked about vulnerabilities to such a degree, I had to quickly grasp an understanding of vulnerabilities, systems, and an ability to see how certain attacks could shape the future. This experience will be utilized in the future as no matter where I end up, a level of comprehension, understanding, and uncertainty are all something that I will experience in the cyber security field. Going forward I hope to be able to put into practice these skills and continue to pickup new skills that pertain to my field.